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BradKolodner |
"We could not have asked for a better setting to record this album: right here in the house where we have lived for the past 21 years. The creaks in the floor, the chirps of the birds outside, the beaming Baltimore summer sun shining through the windows, and the comfort of playing in our living room was the ideal setting. For a few weeks in the summer of 2013, our house temporarily turned into a makeshift recording studio." - Ken & Brad
Featuring:
Ken Kolodner: hammered dulcimer, fiddle
Brad Kolodner: banjo, gourd banjo, banjola, fiddle, vocals
Robin Bullock: guitar, mandolin, cittern
Alex Lacquement: bass
Elke Baker: fiddle, viola
Kagey Parrish (of The Honey Dewdrops): harmony vocals
“Father and son have reached that musical telepathy that family members can sometimes achieve. The blend of the hammered dulcimer and banjo is exceptional.” Old Time Herald, 2012
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Genre: Folk
Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
Genre: Old Time
Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
Genre: Old Time
Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
Genre: Old Time
Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
www.bradkolodner.com
Playing Since: 2007
Experience Level: Expert/Professional
Interests:
[Teaching] [Jamming] [Socializing] [Helping]
Occupation: Professional Musician/Radio DJ
Gender: Male
Age: 34
My Instruments:
Kevin Enoch Dobson w/ maple rim
Kevin Enoch Dobson w/ spun brass rim
Gold Tone Banjola
Pete Luellen Gourd Banjo
Martin D-16 Guitar
Favorite Bands/Musicians:
Ken Kolodner, Richie Stearns, Adam Hurt, Robin Bullock, Helicon, Bruce Molsky, Rayna Gellert, Chance McCoy, Rosie Newton, Pete Sutherland, Brittany Haas, Dirk Powell, David Bass, Frank Lee, Kristian Herner, Jens Kruger, Tony Rice, Doc Watson, Jason Romero, The Honey Dewdrops, The Rockridge Brothers, Rhys Jones, Cahalen Morrison and Eli West, Foghorn Stringband, The Stray Birds, The Freight Hoppers, Brad Leftwich
Classified Rating: not rated
Rate this Member
Profile Info:
Visible to: Public
Created 5/29/2009
Last Visit 9/20/2020
Rooted in the traditions of Old-Time American folk music, Baltimore-based banjo wizard Brad Kolodner represents the next generation of Old-Time musicians pushing the boundaries of the tradition into uncharted territory. Regarded for his delicate touch, expressive style, and original compositions, Kolodner has rapidly gained national attention for his unique approach to the banjo at just 24 years of age. Old-Time Clawhammer banjo is experiencing a rebirth in American folk music and Kolodner is helping to lead the charge as a performer, teacher, Strathmore Artist in Resident, radio DJ for WAMU’s Bluegrass Country, jam leader, community builder and ambassador for Old-Time folk music. Son of Ken Kolodner, a world-renowned hammered dulcimer player and Old-Time fiddler, Brad grew up in a house full of traditional world folk music. Brad began his musical journey at the age of 17 when he first picked up the banjo in the summer of 2007 at a music camp in Maine. The following year, Brad started his first year as a student at Ithaca College to pursue a degree in Television- Radio. It was in Ithaca, NY, a hotbed for Old-Time music, where his interest in the music was cemented. Within a couple of years, he began performing regularly with his father throughout the East Coast and competing in regional banjo contests. Perhaps his most notable performance came in 2009 when he performed on the Millenium Stage at the Kennedy Center with his father. The following year, Brad won the prestigious 2010 Old-Time Banjo Festival Contest in Takoma Park, MD, earning a performance slot later that evening at The Birchmere where he opened for Grammy-winning banjo legends Tony Trischka and Cathy Fink. That performance became a launching point for Kolodner's career as an Old-Time musician. In the summer of 2014, Brad was a finalist in the banjo contest at the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, WV, one of the most prestigious Old-Time banjo contests in the world. In the summer of 2010, Brad and his father Ken completed their first collaborative studio album, Otter Creek, featuring many of Brad’s originals along with traditional Old-Time tunes. On the recording, Brad played banjo and an instrument called the banjola, a cross between a banjo and a mandola. Soon after its release, Sing Out! Magazine hailed the album as “a joyous recording featuring two fine musicians who play excellently together. There must be something special to that father-son thing.” The Old Time Herald said, “Father and son have reached that musical telepathy that family members can sometimes achieve. The blend of the hammered dulcimer and banjo is exceptional.” The album later became the most played instrumental album on the American Folk-DJ Radio charts in 2011. The title track, “Otter Creek,” written by Brad, was the most played instrumental track on the Folk-DJ Charts in 2011. Ken and Brad released their second album Skipping Rocks in the fall 2013. Guest artists on the new CD include Robin Bullock (guitar, mandolin), Elke Baker (fiddle, viola), and Alex Lacquement (bass). Shortly after its release, the album rapidly ascended the Folk-DJ Radio charts topping out at #4 in November 2013. Bluegrass Today hailed their new album by saying “Ken and Brad are both exceptionally talented musicians and they have created a tight, top-notch sound.” CD Hotlist explains “This father-son duo project is both technically impressive and musically tasteful, a lovely exploration of both tradition and creativity (and of a warm musical relationship).” In August 2013, Brad signed on as a weekly radio DJ for WAMU’s Bluegrass Country, a nationally- renowned 24/7 bluegrass and folk radio station in Washington D.C. Kolodner combines his radio production skills learned in college with his extensive knowledge of Old-Time, bluegrass, folk roots, and Americana music for his radio show on Bluegrass Country. "The Brad Kolodner Show" airs on Saturdays from 2-4 p.m. His most recent endeavor has been the creation of the Baltimore Old Time Jam, a bi-weekly jam in the heart of Baltimore City at an Irish Pub called Liam Flynn’s Ale House that he leads with his father. The jam is a gathering place for dozens of area Old-Time musicians and enthusiasts. Additionally, Brad spearheaded the creation of the Baltimore Square Dance, a wildly popular bi-monthly dance held at Mobtown Ballroom in downtown Baltimore City. Brad graduated from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY in 2012 with a degree in Television-Radio. While he did not study music in college, he immersed himself in Ithaca’s vibrant old-time music scene. He frequently attended concerts and jams in Ithaca while simultaneously working on his degree. He regularly collaborated with musicians in the music school including a performance with the Ithaca College Choir. His senior “thesis” project was a documentary film about a legendary folk music radio show at Cornell University called “Bound for Glory,” a show he and his father have performed on twice. Besides performing and recording, Kolodner has developed a passion for teaching banjo. He has taught numerous workshops around the country at a number of camps and folk schools including the John Campbell Folk School (Brasstown, NC), Common Ground on the Hill (Westminster, MD), the House of Musical Traditions (Takoma Park, MD), the Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago, IL), the Mountain Arts Gathering (Paul Smiths College, NY), the Maiden Creek Old-Time Festival (Blandon, PA) and the Florence Thomas Arts School (Ashe County, NC). Currently residing in his hometown of Baltimore, Brad teaches private banjo lessons to over 35 students. While banjo is Brad’s primary instrument, he also sings and performs on the guitar, fiddle, gourd banjo, and banjola. www.bradkolodner.com